Pistachio Torrone

This traditional Italian nougat is typically made with almonds, but we've substituted pistachios for their bright color and delicate flavor. Torrone can vary from firm to soft, but this one has a nice, subtle chew. Flavorless sheets of edible wafer paper keep the strips from sticking to one another.

Preparation

Oil baking pan, then line bottom and sides with pieces of edible wafer paper, trimming it to fit.

Heat honey, sugar, and water in a 5-quart heavy pot over low heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring, washing any sugar crystals down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Put thermometer into syrup and continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until it registers 310 to 315°F (upper end of hard-crack stage).

With mixer at low speed, slowly pour hot syrup into whites in a thin stream down side of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture has cooled to warm (mixture will rise, then fall), about 20 minutes. Add flower water and almond extract and beat 1 minute more. Stir in pistachios.

Sprinkle a work surface with cornstarch (1 tablespoon), then spoon torrone mixture onto cornstarch and gently knead a few times with hands dipped in cornstarch.

Pat torrone mixture into baking pan and top with a square of wafer paper, trimming to fit. Let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours.

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Reviews

Don't let the negative reviews prevent you from making it. First of all it's not that difficult to make, took me & my husband a little over an hour. Having an assistant helped. I followed the recipe almost exactly, used lemon extract & orange zest instead of flower water or whatever that ingredient was. Used cornstarch since no fancy rice paper available around here. Also , didn't beat for twenty minutes, my mixer is a hand held variety, no way it could handle that! Still its delicious, pretty white, soft chewy nougaty goodness! Way better than the kind in the green package ;)

I made this last night & have to say, it's
pretty tasty! It's just not my ultimate
version of torrone. I followed the
technique to the letter but did put in
almonds & chopped candied orange peel
instead of pistachios. I used the same
ratio though, so added 2 1/4 cups of
almonds & 1/4 cup of candied orange. I
substituted vanilla too, since I added the
orange peel and prefer it anyway. The
flavor is very good and I had no problems
with it setting. The worst problem for me
is the color. It didn't turn
white. I had to whip the mixture much
longer than stated too, to cool it down.
The texture is off too. It's a lot
chewier than I wanted. I wanted a softer,
more tender nougat. It came out well for
my first time making it, just isn't a
perfect recipe for me. I did have the
wafer paper and am thankful, I can't even
imagine how I'd get it out of the pan
without it. There are videos available on Youtube that show Italian chefs making it, I found it very helpful to watch them before making it. There were some good tips for working with such a tricky mixture, such as adding the nuts warm, to help them mix together easier. Good luck everyone!

I noticed that most people who didn't have issues with runniness/oozing were from dryer climates and those who had more problems with the consistency and not setting were from humid areas. The humidity just might be tooooo much in some areas to successfully make or store this dessert. Might try during cold temperatures?

i didn't experience the problem with the candy not setting. i definitely beat the mixture for a full 20 minutes, as i have experienced other candies not setting if i've not followed the recipe precisely. i used almonds; my nonna always brought this italian nougat candy to our holiday dinners and i remember it with almonds. every time i take a bite of the candy, i'm reminded of her.
i also did not use the edible wafer paper and had no issues. i sliced them, cut them into bite size pieces and individually wrapped them in parchment and they held up perfectly. no gooey-ness whatsoever.

I was a little nervous with the "oozing" reviews,
but this turned out great. It took a long time for
the sugar to get to 315 degrees. I didn't have a
5 quart pan, so I used a 3 quart pan. I wonder if
anyone has tried different pans and if that
would decrease the time needed to get to the
right temp.
The honey and sugar did get very dark, but
when I tested it, it tasted fine, so I
kept going. It lightened up beautifully when I
beat it with the egg whites, but was never really
bright white. I also beat it for full 20 minutes
with the eggs, so maybe that helped it set.
This was my first try at this candy, and everyone
raved. I'm going to make it again in a different
pan and will report back.

Don't know why this didn't show up before but oh well! Love this recipe. It is a bit messy and very time consuming, but the end result definitely makes it worth it!! Great flavor, color and texture. Will be making this again and again! Thanks!

This recipe is wonderful! Warning:
this recipe requires a lot of
concentration and time, but the end
results are well worth the time! I
don't have access to edible wafer so
I opted for the cornstarch/non-stick
spray and it worked like a charm!
It is messy, so be prepared!!
Great, great texture and flavor!
Thank you so much for a great taste
memory! Wish I could give it more
forks!

This was a bit of work, but the
cornstarch magically makes it
workable. I really thought this was
one of the best things I ever made!
Just incredible. Well worth the work
and it set up just fine for me.

I was a bit concerned
when the honey sugar
syrup looked so dark, but
when it was whipped into
the egg whites, it turned
very white. The flavour
was very nice (I omitted
the orange flower as I
don't like it) but I also had
the same problem with it
not setting. Just gooey
and stuck together.
I found a site that
explained that
professionals whip their
egg white and sugar
mixture over hot water
and that's supposed to be
the secret to getting it to
set. I will try that next
time.

I will not make this recipe again. They never truly set into a firmer state. They seemed somehow suspended in between a liquid and a solid state. I would appreciate any feedback to make them into a firmer finished product.

What the heck is
wrong with this
recipe? I followed
the directions and
it looked great in
the pan - set
beautifully - the
next day I flipped
it out and cut it -
tasted great -
wonderful texture-
but then I put it
on my cookie
platter with all
the other cookies
and after about ten
minutes it was a
big pile of goo.
Anyone have a
better recipe?

This nougat is
delicious. It has a
lovely chewy
texture. The color
was exactly as in
the picture. I
roasted raw
pistachios and the
flavour came through
remarkably well.
Instead of the wafer
paper, I used sheets
of "host cuttings"
which are easily
available in this
city. They are
slightly thicker
than the wafer paper
pictured in Gourmet,
but work out well
nonetheless. Since
I have a very old
Kitchen Aid mixer, I
had to stop beating
the nougat before it
had cooled
completely (less
than 10 minutes).
My mixer was
smoking. I
cooled the bowl with
a wet cloth to
hasten the cooling.
The whole thing is
very sticky, but fun
to play with. It
is
a challenge to cut
and wrap properly
but the result is
well worth the
trouble. I put
some
in my children's
Christmas stockings
and they all raved
about it.

I didn't have a
problem with the
boiling; it was a
little dark, but my
torrone turned out
white, as in the
recipe. I
substituted orange
extract for the
flower water and
didn't notice any
bad taste. I wrapped
mine in wax paper,
and a few of the
pieces are oozing as
they sit in a
tupperware on my
counter. Like
others, I wouldn't
give it away -
especially not
without the rice
paper, as every time
you touch it you
leave finger prints.
Yet, I feel
compelled to eat it
all after the hour I
spent shelling
pistachios.

There is something wrong with this recipe. I followed precisely, and had the same sticky, gooey product of others. It never set up, and slicing is a joke. Taste is elegant and subtle, but please review this recipe and find out what is wrong with it!

Zero forks from,
me, too. The sugar-
honey mixure did
get very, very
dark, and I thought
I might have burned
it, but other
reviewers had the
same outcome. The
nougat came out
tan, not the creamy
white in the photo.
It was a mess to
cut, and after my
husband tasted it,
it made a face like
the one my cat does
when we give her
medicine. After
that, it went right
in the garbage
can. An expensive
experiment, after
procuring the wafer
paper, the large
quantity of nuts,
orange flower
water, etc.

First off I love the recipes in my monthly subscriptions of Bon Appetit and Gourmet.
However, occasionaly, like home there is a bad one. This was gross. Like the previous reviewers the nougat was dark, smelled like it was burning and the orange blossom water was too prefumey. I found the wafer paper and that was also expensive. I would not make this again however would rather go to an Italian deli and buy it ready made. If I wasn't watching my Kitchen Aide stand mier might of bit the dust. I'm deleting this out out of my recipe file.

I think there are issues with the recipe itself. I followed the recipe exactly. I had the same thoughts as the others about the darkness of the syrup and same concerns about temperature, but my nougat turned out beautifully....UNTIL it was time to cut it. Then I had the same results as one of the other writers did. The torrone is sticky, and floppy and will not be something that I can give away as a gift. The taste is good, but the appearance and stickiness is a disaster, and an expensive one at that. Having subscribed to Gourmet for 25 years, I generally have no problems with their recipes. I also tried the Peppermint Patties, but I'll save the writeup on that disaster for that recipe page!

This is really a
strange recipe. I
began by following
it to the letter,
but when the
honey-sugar mixture
started to burn (and
I was boiling it
gently in a heavy
cast iron pot over
very low heat) at
around 290 degrees,
I had to stop
cooking. I never
did get to 310, if I
had, it surely would
have burned. Though
it lightened up a
lot when whipped
with eggs, the color
is still a light
brown and the
torrone definitely
tastes a bit burnt,
despite my best
efforts to keep it
from scorching. The
overall flavor of
this torrone is the
weirdest part of all
(weirder, even, than
the goupy texture) -
a combination of
burnt sugar, orange
flower (I would use
much, much less of
that in the future)
and honey. Not
altogether bad for a
cake or for ice
cream, but way too
intense for candy.
Plus, even though
getting the soft
nougat into a pan
was relatively easy
(way, way easier
than drizzling
molten sugar-honey
down the side of my
mixer bowl - what??)
now that I've cut
it, it's oozing and
won't really hold a
clean cut (plus it's
near-impossible to
cut cleanly). I
don't know, I think
I'll leave torrone
making to the
experts and buy mine
next time! Usually
Gourmet recipes turn
out perfectly, but
this one is either
too advanced for me,
or a dud.

I made this two
days ago. At first
I was concerned
with the color of
the honey. I
thought it was too
dark. It lightened
up considerably
while it was
beating, but it
never got to the
pretty white
stage. I think the
orange blossom
water gives it a
slightly bitter
flavor, so I would
substitute vanilla or more
almond extract next
time. As for the
stickiness, I used
a bench scraper to
get it off my
counter. I think
the texture is
really nice, not
hard, but still has
a nice chew. I
wrapped my slices
in parchment and
they have only
settled a little
bit. They are not
oozing at all. I
think this is a
good recipe to play
around with.

I followed this recipe to
the letter. Even though
the dark color of the
cooked honey whipped
out completely, the
mixture was so sticky that
it left a thick layer in the
bowl and on the kneading
surface. I thought that it
would firm up a bit after I
left it to set, but once I
cut it into strips the
torrone oozed out
between the wafer paper,
flattening under its own
weight.
I wouldn't call the texture
a "subtle chew"; its stringy
and sticky like taffy. The
flavor was sharply sweet.
Pistachios were a nice
change, but the almond
extract with the honey
overwhelmed the orange
blossom water.
Zero forks from me,
sadly.

First of all, for
the people that
reviewed without
leaving forks or
trying the recipe,
you're making the
rating go down. If
I could give this
recipe extra forks,
I would. The
flavor and texture
are excellent, and
the pistachios are
a nice change from
the more
traditional almond
torrone. I prefer
my torrone a little
softer/chewier, so
I cooked to the top
of hard ball
instead of hard
crack and it turned
out great. Wafer
paper is a must,
but if you can't
find it, liberally
oil your dish and
then dust well with
confectioners sugar
or a combo of
confect. sugar and
cornstarch sifted
together. Be sure
to cook over medium
heat to avoid
burning the honey,
and run a wet brush
around the sides
occasionally to
keep the mixture
from burning at the
edges. I didn't
find it necessary
to knead it, since
I went with a
softer texture;
however, if you
cook the syrup to
hard crack, and
beat it
appropriately, it's
easy to knead. I
will definitely add
this to my candy
repetoire!

I also thought at
first that the
sugar and honey
looked very dark
for what the
finished product
should look like
but I followed the
recipe exactly.
Once you've added
the syrup to the
egg whites the
color gradually
fades as you whip
it and it becomes
an off white. Boy
is this stuff
sticky though! My
hands were covered
and I could hardly
get the mound off
my hands into the
pan! Cleans off
easily though with
hot water. I used
parchment paper as
I had no edible and
I also mixed in
almonds with the
pistachios.
It's sitting now
and I can't wait
til it's ready to
taste!

I am making this,
and the sugar seems
VERY dark and I
wonder if the
temperature is too
high. The cooked
sugar looks like
caramel. I've
verified
that my thermometer
is working
correctly, but the
mixture looks like
dark -- not white as
it appears in the
photo. I've looked
at other recipes for
Torrone, and the
temperature on the
candy thermometer is
specified as lower
-- in some cases 260
degrees F. Could it
be that the temp
specified in this
recipe is not
correct?